The AirPods Pro and entry-level Kindle highlight this weekend’s best deals

Welcome to the weekend, dear readers! Microsoft’s forthcoming, ChatGPT-powered browser and Nintendo’s latest Direct event may have dominated the news cycle as of late, but there were a number of headline-grabbing discounts peppered throughout the week. And while we typically reserve our weekend roundups for new deals, we figured we’d take the opportunity to run through some of the highlights you may have missed — you know, with V-Day coming up and all.

First up is Apple’s second-gen AirPods Pro, which have returned to an all-time low of $199.99 ($50 off) at Amazon, Best Buy, and Target. We highlight them often, yes, but that’s namely because they’re a great pair of wireless earbuds if you’re already entrenched in the Apple ecosystem. They support the company’s spatial audio feature, swipe-based controls, and sync across iCloud devices, while offering noise cancellation that’s on par with Sony’s more recent earbuds. They can’t quite compete with Bose’s QuietComfort Earbuds II on the ANC front, but their appeal lies in how well they pair Apple-friendly features with terrific sound quality. Read our review.

Amazon may have recently introduced new colors to its latest Kindle Paperwhite, but if you can live without the “Agave Green” shade and IPX8 waterproofing, the 2022 base Kindle is on sale at Amazon, Best Buy, and Target with ads and up to four months of Kindle Unlimited for $74.99 ($25 off), or without ads at Amazon for $94.99 ($25 off). It packs a few upgrades over the last-gen model — the most noteworthy of which being USB-C charging and a 6.2-inch display that offers twice the pixel density — making last year’s model the go-to option for anyone that wants a solid, entry-level e-reader. Read our review.

If you’re looking to blanket your home with reliable Wi-Fi or upgrade an existing Eero setup, the Eero Pro 6E router is currently available on Amazon as a standalone device for $199 ($50 off), as a two-pack for $319.99 ($81 off), or as a three-pack for $439 ($111 off). As Eero’s top-of-the-line mesh Wi-Fi router, it supports Thread and features a 6GHz Wi-Fi band, which allows for increased speeds overall (at least in devices that support it).

The 6E’s wireless speeds top out at 1.3Gbps — meaning you may want to look elsewhere if you have a multi-gigabit connection — but it’s still a straightforward, future-proof mesh system that can cover up to 2,000 square feet with a single router. Now, if only Eero didn’t lock the parental controls, ad blocking, and other commonplace features behind a paywall. Read our review.

A few more highlights from earlier this week